[AF] Rimonabant

[Pedro del Río Pérez]

Últimamente parece que sólo había malas noticias
para este fármaco. Ahora parece que algo les sonríe.

Rimonabant consigue la aprobación (financiada) del NICE británico

La noticia está en Medscape (es gratis previo registro).
El comentario es corto por lo que el que no tenga ganas de
registrarse para leerlo pues copio y pego:

"Sanofi Obesity Drug Gets Final Okay From UK's NICE.
LONDON (Reuters) Jun 25 - Sanofi-Aventis won a final green light for
its obesity drug Acomplia (rimonabant) from Britain's cost-effectiveness
watchdog NICE on Wednesday, clearing the way for doctors to prescribe
it on the state health service.
The move was expected following a positive appraisal from the National
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in March.
It marks a small positive for the French drugmaker's once much-hyped
medicine, which has failed to live up to early expectations.
NICE's final guidance recommends using Acomplia as an addition to diet
and exercise for obese or overweight adults who don't respond to or are
intolerant of two other weight-loss drugs, orlistat and sibutramine.
But NICE cautioned that treatment should not continue beyond 6 months
unless patients lost at least 5 percent of their initial body weight and 
there
should, in any event, be a formal clinical assessment after 2 years.
The UK decision contrasts with Germany where Acomplia is not reimbursed
by health insurers because it is deemed simply to improve lifestyle.
Acomplia was once touted as a multibillion-dollar seller, but hopes for the
product dimmed last year when a U.S. expert panel recommended against
its approval in the world's biggest market, after it was linked to rare 
cases
of suicidal thoughts.
Sanofi said in October it expected only limited sales of the drug in the 
next
few years, until new clinical trial results testing it in diabetes are ready 
for
submission to regulators in 2009.
Worldwide sales of the drug were a meagre 79 million euros ($122.9 million)
last year.
Roche makes the older weight-loss drug orlistat under the brand name 
Xenical,
while sibutramine is marketed by Abbott Laboratories under the brand names
Meridia or Reductil."

Saludos
........................................
Pedro del Río Pérez
León
........................................